PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE FORMS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY KEY TO POVERTY ERADICTION STRATEGIES AMONG POOR PEOPLE IN RURAL AREAS OF KENYA- A CALL FOR SUPPORT

摘要

There is now a global acknowledgement and greater understanding of the depth and extent of poverty especially in the least developed countries whose consequences affect all people everywhere one way or the other. Over 1.2 billion human beings suffer extreme deprivation and lack even the most basic of life sustenance - food, water and shelter among others (World Bank, 2000; IFAD, 2001; DFID, 2001). In Kenya, one of the poorest and heavily indebted countries in the world, majority of the people live in rural areas where their only means of livelihood is subsistence agriculture. Alternative means of livelihoods for the majority of poor people in rural areas are rare. Opportunities for economic advancement are scarce and rural infrastructure upon which development activities hinge does not exist or is in an unusable state. There is a general lack of rural industries even for processing of agricultural produce. This situation makes the well-being and the welfare of the rural people extremely appalling. Energy is very essential for sustainable development in rural areas. Electricity supply in Kenya is confined mostly in major urban centres only. Poor people rely on unsustainable forms of energy sources mainly burning of wood for domestic needs such as lighting resulting in serious environmental and health consequences among them, desertification and internal pollution. The latter is a pre-cursor of prevalent asthmatic conditions. There is therefore an urgent and greater need to provide sustainable and affordable forms of renewable energy to poor people in rural areas for household use and to help stimulate development activities in information technology and other light agro-industries. We propose a credit scheme through a revolving fund to enable poor people access solar technology to meet their energy needs. We appeal for support from the international community in this initiative